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10 Free Things to Do in Topeka, Kansas
1. Lake Shawnee
Lake Shawnee is one of the most recommended attractions around Topeka. There is truly something for everyone who enjoys the outdoors. You can stay overnight at the campground, or spend the day at the picnic area, playgrounds, gardens, golf course, baseball and softball fields, soccer fields, disc golf course, and trails. Pets are also welcome on the 6.8 mile paved walking trail around the lake.
The lake also offers a variety of water activities including fishing, swimming, and boating. Since it is divided into separate areas for recreational and fishing, there is enough space for everyone. You can also enjoy a stroll through the famous Ted Ensley gardens to take in the beauty of the manicured flower beds and gazebo. Be sure to look for seasonal displays as well around the 4th of July and Christmas. Lake Shawnee is a hub of outdoor entertainment and activities.
The thousands of tulips planted in November 2020 in preparation for this year s Jerold Binkley Tulip Time are starting to bloom.
When Tulip Time begins April 9, the Ted Ensley Gardens at Lake Shawnee should display a multitude of colors and tulip varietals.
Tulip Time is set for April 9 through 25 at Ted Ensley Gardens, Old Prairie Town at Ward-Meade Botanical Garden, Doran Rock Garden and surrounding areas in Gage Park.
Shawnee County Parks and Recreation spokesman Mike McLaughlin said in a news release this year s festivities will include a ribbon cutting and dedication April 17 of a section of tulips planted at Ted Ensley Gardens in honor of Binkley the founder of Tulip Time.
“I just walk around it,” she said. “Mother Nature at its finest.”
Seitz was one of a dozen park-goers with whom The Topeka Capital-Journal spoke regarding concerns about Canada Geese. Most shrugged off any concerns and said they too are used to it.
Kim Smith was walking around Lake Shawnee, as she does fairly regularly. She hasn’t had any bad experiences with geese but said the park can become covered in poop during the warmer months.
“You have to watch where you are going or you are going to step in it,” she said. “I didn’t see as much this time, but it is early in the spring.”
New Jersey 2020 Skillful Angler Program Winners This year marks the 38th anniversary of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Skillful Angler Program. For almost four decades the Division has been recognizing anglers who catch fish of “not quite record” size but large enough to have tested the angler’s skill and be worthy of recognition in each of the freshwater and marine species categories.
The Skillful Angler Program is designed to supplement the New Jersey State Record Fish Program. Significant changes were made in January of 2015. Although the program’s three divisions remained the same (Adult, Junior, and Catch and Release), there are now categories creating more opportunities for qualifying fish to earn the angler a series of personalized certificates:
Husband-and-wife duo Randy and Mickey Shannon grew up just 5 miles apart from each other in northeast Kansas.
According to Mickey, the pair met in middle school after their separate school districts in Waterville, her hometown, and Blue Rapids, Randy s hometown, consolidated to form Valley Heights Unified School District 498. That’s where I met him, Mickey said.
She was a year younger than Randy. And as she entered her freshman year of high school, the pair began dating.
They stayed together throughout their high school years. He graduated in 1974 and she in 1975.
And in August of 1976, those high-school sweethearts tied the knot. Almost 45 years later, Mickey and Randy, who now live in Topeka, are still together, having traded their small-town roots decades ago for life in the capital city.